Tag Archives: Columbus Crew

It was a fun night at Mapfre Stadium Saturday night as Columbus Crew SC defeated the Chicago Fire 3-1. It was a match that could have had a lot more goals in it, but both teams struggled to put away some chances. Crew SC rolled out the same line up they have been sticking with as of late a 3-5-2-1. Some highlights and thoughts on the match:

Crew SC came out attacking and pressuring the ball early. However, they did not keep possession for most of the game. This is one of the few times I don’t feel like the lack of possession hurt them. They may be figuring out how to make this formation successful for themselves.

In the 13’, the Fire scored. Our defense including Steffen just decided Michael deLeeuw was offside, but the refs didn’t agree. This is Soccer 101. Don’t stop playing until the whistle is blown. The Fire has been dominant with wins when scoring first, but not this time….

Artur continues to be the Energizer Bunny on the field. However, he may want to work on his shooting. Artur had many different opportunities to score a goal. The one mentioned above in the 2’, a header in the 5’, and not being able to finish a Manneh cross in the 11’.

Kekuta Manneh’s goal in the 18’ was an example of being at the right place at the right time and being able to finish that opportunity. Artur took a shot that deflected off a Fire defender right to Manneh who was able to put the ball in the back of the net.

The second goal in the 73’ was the result of vintage Francis cross to Meram. It is what got Francis to the All-Star Game in 2015, and it is why I believe Waylon should remain the starter on that side of the field. He also made a key defensive play in the 77’ when he took the ball from a Fire player who would have had an uncontested shot.

Meram scored our second goal, and it was a beauty. It was the 1,000 Crew SC goal. There were times during this game that I was in awe of his movements, and then there were times when I wondered why he was taking extra touches and losing the ball instead of passing it. If Pipa really does leave the Crew SC next year, Meram will have to fine-tune a bit to become the playmaker on this team. I’m confident he can do it.

Harrison Afful played just the first half working himself back from injury. This was a solid performance from Afful, which we haven’t seen a lot this season. It makes me wonder if he’s had lingering injuries for the majority of the season even when he was playing.

This was a must-win game for Crew SC. They are just above the playoff line, and they need to prove that they are a team to contend with. They did, and it was fun to watch.

Schweinsteiger was not as big of a factor in this game as I thought he would be. I don’t know if that’s because of where he was playing or how we played against him.

It was nice to see Matt Lampson back in Mapfre stadium. I really miss his “Off The Post” video clips when he was with Crew SC. If you have never seen them, you should go to YouTube and watch. One time he talked about his favorite song by Amy Grant. Watching those clips usually resulted in me laughing with tears streaming from my eyes. I’m not sure the PK call should have been one. I’ve watched replays, and I still can’t decide. Either way, it was a rough game for Lampson.

On a personal note, for those of you who follow me on Twitter, you know that I am a huge Ethan Finlay fan—my dog is even named after him. His trade to Minnesota broke my heart. While some felt it was time for him to go, I was hoping Ethan would be a Crew SC lifer. He gave 100% every time he was on the field and just exemplified to me what it meant to be a Crew SC player.

My only regret is that I never got to meet Ethan. I wish nothing but the best for Ethan Finlay, and I’ll be paying more attention to Minnesota from now on. I hope they realize what an amazing player and person they have on their team. My last 3 favorite players have either retired or been traded, so I’m trying not to have another favorite player. I don’t know if my heart can take it.

At the conclusion of this match, I couldn’t decide who should be Man of the Match. Overall, everyone played well. It was a team win. This is the way I believe a successful game should feel.

We play Orlando City this Saturday, and to continue our winning ways from this match, we need to continue to have all our players firing on all cylinders. I look forward to watching.

At some point, it just stops being fun—watching your team lose a game that they could have won.As a Columbus Crew SC fan, it feels like it has happened a lot this year– points slipping through our fingers. It happened again Saturday night against the San Jose Earthquakes as Crew SC lost 2-1.

Some thoughts about the match:

Even though he was scored on twice, Zack Steffen played a great game.In the 20’, he saved a Wondo header, and he denied Wondo again in the 46’.In the 87’, Steffen had a one vs. one save.I would imagine it’s hard to keep going if you are the Crew SC keeper when your defense hangs you out to dry, but Steffen plays with intensity and won my vote for man of the match.

During the first 12 minutes and periodically throughout the game, I thought to myself, “Wow, we are moving the ball incredibly well.”There were a lot of first touch passes, and we controlled the field during those times.This is the team we have to consistently be in order to be successful.

We had trouble finishing opportunities.Ola Kamara had a few chances prior to the 14’ that should have been finished.Raitala had an opportunity unmarked at the top of the box in the 20.’In the 73’, Arthur had a pretty shot from distance.In the 81’, Kamara sent a nice ball to Meram who took a shot that the keeper couldn’t keep his mitts on, but there was no one at the backdoor to finish it off.

Mensah was a mixed bag. He got a well-deserved yellow in the 26’.He was somewhat culpable for Wondo’s goal in the 57’, but he also headed the corner that led to Adam Jahn’s goal in the 75’.

We did concede 10 corners in the first half, and after that, I stopped keeping track.It was surprising that none of San Jose’s goals came from them as we kept gifting them corner kick opportunities.

The field was awful, awful, awful….Crew SC players slid or fell at least 6 times during the game, usually in key moments that could have resulted in a cross for us or a defensive block against San Jose.

During away games, I try to keep up on twitter to see others’ responses.It always ranges.During and after this game, it was people ready to have Gregg fired, disappointed in our development of players, being frustrated at dropping points again, or unhappiness at the lack of movement so far during the transfer window.It was people finding the positives in Steffen’s play, cheering on Jahn for his goal, or being excited to see Cristian Martinez get some minutes.

I am not going to tell any Crew SC fan how to feel.I know I went through most of those feelings at some point during the game too.I did not want to sit down and write about another loss.But I will reiterate one of my tweets from last night.I appreciate fans looking for the positives in the games or being incredibly upset about the state of the team.It means we care about the team, that we truly bleed black and gold.

This team needs passionate fans more than anything, and I know on that we can deliver.Hopefully, they can deliver a turnaround on the season.They have done it before, and I’m not ready to count them out.

For as dull as Saturday’s snoozer at MAPFRE between the Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew was, Wednesday’s midweek clash was much more interesting, both in terms of “there’s actual chances being created” and on-field drama.

On Saturday, about the only interesting thing was the U’s starting eleven. With Fafa Picault, CJ Sapong, and Fabian Herbers injured, Chris Pontius at the Gold Cup, and Roland Alberg suspended, the Union attacking four was Marcus Epps, Adam Najem, Ilsinho, and Jay Simpson. That resulted in three shots total for Philadelphia as the Union failed to break down the Crew’s back three of Alex Crognale, Jonathan Mensah, and Lalas Abubakar. Zero on target. The only goal was a Justin Meram shot that went in off of Josh Yaro, which basically summed that game up to a T.

Wednesday, however, saw the Union respond by nearly breaking the team record for shots (28 – they finished with 27). Alberg returned to the eleven, replacing Najem, and Sapong also returned after missing Saturday’s game with an ankle knock.

It was Sapong’s acrobatic assist that helped open the scoring, as an overhead kick set up a bomb of a shot by Ilsinho.

If you’ll remember, Alberg and Sapong fought over who would take a penalty a couple weeks ago in Kansas City, with Sapong deferring to Alberg hoping a goal would get the Dutchman going. They went at it again, as Sapong protested to the bench while captain Alejandro Bedoya tried to mediate, and it was Alberg who took it…and subsequently had it denied by ex-Union Academy keeper Zack Steffen.

Perhaps a combination of “ball don’t lie” (the foul did appear to be outside the box and thus not a penalty) and/or karmic punishment for Alberg. Bedoya did say postgame that Alberg was higher in the PK pecking order, and Curtin said that any tension was sorted at halftime…but still, many fans saw Alberg’s actions as juvenile. He’d go on to channel his inner Kobe Bryant during the second half trying to get a goal to make up for it, but never actually scored and received a smattering of boos when he was subbed off.

Sapong did eventually get a goal in the 66th minute. Giliano Wijnaldum put in an excellent cross, Sapong’s first header hit the bar, but he buried the rebound for his career-high tenth.

Ten-man Columbus became nine-man Columbus about ten minutes later as Lalas Abubakar was sent off for hitting Ilsinho in the face. I think it was harsh, and Ilsinho sold the contact…but you don’t put your hands on someone’s face when you’re already on a yellow!

The second time Ilsinho gets hit in the face tonight, Abubakar is shown a straight red and Columbus are down to 9 https://t.co/36xlD8tNy1

Now the Union head on the road to battle New England Revolution with the return of Pontius from Gold Cup duty. It would also be the return of Blake if he didn’t currently have stitches in his hand. FC Dallas plays in Philly early next month, and I think Philly fans will have Kellyn Acosta marked as public enemy #1. Luckily for the Zolos, John McCarthy has been money in Blake’s absence.

Essentially, Columbus Crew SC just played the equivalent to a baseball double header playing the Philadelphia Union on Saturday and then again Wednesday.

In both games, Crew SC rolled out a 3-4-2-1 line-up utilizing 3 center backs in the backline—JonathanMensah, Alex Crognale, and LalasAbubakar. The only change in the starting line-up between the two games was at right back—Harrison Afful played in the first game and Hector Jimenez in the second.

The first time this strategy yielded a 1-0 Crew SC victory. The defense held, but without FedericoHiguain, the offense didn’t quite have the same movement that it could have had. OlaKamara had a nice volley, but it was saved by Philadelphia’s keeper. The lone goal was scored on a deflection off a defender from a Justin Meram shot.

This formation does not allow for pretty soccer, but if our typical line up isn’t firing on all cylinders, then it isn’t attractive either. It also does not allow for a lot of possession. It was about 50/50 during the first game. It is a formation that allows us to grind out a result and that is what we did.

However, that all came to a halt in the second game of the double header. I’m not going to lie. I was really thankful that this was an away game, and I didn’t have to watch this one in person. Everything that Crew SC has struggled with was present in this game in a perfect storm that resulted in a 3-0 loss.

The defense fell apart. There were bad clearances, men unmarked at the top of the box, and men unmarked on the back post. Now, granted, Philadelphia’s first goal contained a pretty bicycle kick assist, but if there hadn’t been a bad clearance the assist wouldn’t have been possible.

Jonathan Mensah committed a red card foul in the 35’ that left the Crew SC a player down. Our DP has struggled all season to adjust to the MLS and Crew SC, and it is becoming evident that he may not be able to adjust at all. Then, Lalas Abubakar received a red card in the 76’ leaving Crew SC with 9 players on the field.

Finally, we didn’t have that many opportunities, and we couldn’t finish the opportunities we did have. We only had 2 shots on target. Kamara had one he could have tapped in but hit the post.

If you ask any Crew SC fan what our issues are on the field, I’m sure these things would be mentioned. In this game, they were all blatantly present.

A lot of fans are frustrated, and I understand it. I feel for the guys on the field. They want to win, they care. So, I’ll keep cheering them on from the stands and from my couch when they are playing away from home.

Hopefully, they come out firing on all cylinders against Real Salt Lake this Saturday.

This past Saturday, there were fireworks at Mapfre Stadium.Not because the game was fantastic, but because there were actually fireworks after the game.It’s a good thing there were fireworks.Otherwise, the crowd may not have stuck around to watch the whole game as Columbus Crew SC lost to Atlanta United 2-0.

The game seemed choppy from the get go—neither team really finding their flow.It seemed like there were a lot of tiny fouls that constantly got called, and the passing never really seemed to move.

Both goals were scored by Atlanta’s Hector Villalba in the 27’ and 64’. Gregg Berhalter tried subbing in Manneh and Jahn to make a difference like in the previous game, but unlike last game, the subs couldn’t turn the game around.It’s a game that begs to be forgotten.

Some plays that caught my attention:

On Atlanta’s first goal, Mensah missed a header he should have had.He played more confidently in the second half, winning challenges, and stepping to the ball more, but he still hasn’t found firm footing within the backline.

Afful also seemed to have moments of struggle having his pocket picked by Almiron in the 11’ that resulted in a sharp shot off the post.

Then, on Tuesday, Crew SC played another unremarkable game against Minnesota United resulting in a 1-0 win for the Black and Gold.Berhalter did some significant changes to his formation most likely due to a combination of poor play against Atlanta and the quick turnaround time between games.

He rolled out a 3-4-3 lining up Naess, Crognale, and Abubakar in the back, resting Higuain who didn’t even dress for the 18, playing Jimenez for Afful, and starting Manneh over Meram who came off the bench in the 63’.

The team didn’t see many chances in the first half, and outside of the last ten minutes of the first half didn’t seem to have much possession either. Although, I don’t think the lineup Berhalter played is meant to be as possession-oriented as our typical formation.

In the second half, Minnesota had many opportunities to attack.Eventually though, Crew SC placed their own attack.Manneh did a spin move to break away from a Minnesota defender.No one else stepped up, giving him space, so he made a shot from outside of the 18 resulting in his second goal in three games.

After Meram came in, we seemed to have more of an offensive spark.He crossed a ball to Finlay in the 66’ that Finlay missed but should have put away.In the 73’, Meram sent a beautiful through ball to Ola Kamara who just didn’t bend his shot enough to hit the back of the net.

In the 77’, Meram sent another pretty ball to Ola who sent it back to him, but Meram held the ball probably a step too long.While he got the rebound off his own mishit, Meram couldn’t put it away.He had another opportunity in the 80’ when Ola Kamara passed him the ball, but Meram sent it a tad wide of the goal.Regardless, Crew SC ended the game with a win going into an 18-day break from MLS action.

Some thoughts about this game:

Without Pipa and Meram, we really do lack an offensive spark.There was a different energy when Meram entered the match.

I thought rookie Abubakar did a nice job in his MLS debut.I thought Abu who has been shaky in some of his previous appearances also played a solid game.

I was disappointed to see Naess subbed out early in the first half due to what appeared to be an injury. He hasn’t seen much playing time lately, and I think he is one of our stronger CBs.So, I was hoping this would be an opportunity for him to earn his way back to consistently starting.

This needs to be a formation that Gregg Berhalter uses more often.We ground out a result, and I feel that if we were more comfortable with this formation it would be even more effective.It’d be nice to have other options.

The inconsistency of this Crew SC team always leaves you guessing.Which as a Crew SC fan can be frustrating, but it also makes every game intriguing.Who will show up?We may never know, but I know we will be there cheering for our team.

It was a pretty night both weather and win-wise in Crew-ville Saturday night as Columbus Crew SC defeated the Montreal Impact 4-1.

My regular Crew SC partner in crime was traveling, so I brought a friend with me who used to have her own season ticket before moving away.She hasn’t been to a game in several years.So, it was fun listening to her take on the team.During the first half, the two comments she made about the team that stuck out to me were:“They seem like they play very lackadaisical,” and “Why do they keep playing backward?They need to attack and go forward.”

I don’t disagree with her observations.I frequently think the team comes out too slow and doesn’t move the ball fast enough.They either start the game without intensity or lose it as the game progresses, which I think has been an issue for them all year.As for playing out of the back, I tried to explain that it is part of Berhalter’s style of play, but when I tried to describe the benefits of that style of play, I couldn’t.Gregg has been tweaking his style of play this year and probably needs to continue to do so.

With this astute assessment, it wasn’t surprising that the first half showed us slipping into the same pattern of play that have plagued us this season.Pipa sent a beautiful free kick into the net in the 17’.The team was joyful and confident.That ended 2 minutes later when Montreal tied it up after a poor give away by Higuain and as Crew SC’s defense scrambled to unsuccessfully shut down Montreal.

Then, the second half started, and Montreal dominated possession for the first five minutes of the half.My only thought was, “Oh no, here we go again.”I was sure we were going to give away a lead turned tie for a loss.

However, Crew SC proved me wrong.They held strong until reinforcements arrived in the form of Kekutah Manneh who was subbed into the match in the 69’ for Justin Meram and Adam Jahn who was subbed into the match in the 87’ for Ola Kamara.

Manneh scored his first Crew SC goal in the 70’ that Ola Kamara dead stopped for him right outside the 6’ box, and then Manneh assisted Kamara 2 minutes later.Then in the 88’, Pipa scored another goal when Zack Steffen sent a long ball that Adam Jahn headed to Higuain.

These were pretty goals. This is the kind of attacking soccer that when Crew SC plays, they win. Let’s hope they continue this kind of attack against Atlanta United this Saturday.

Random Thoughts:

I feel like a broken record….Injury-free Higuain continues to dominate having scored in the last 4 games.Those lamenting us keeping Higuain at the beginning of the season are probably glad we did now.Let’s keep the scoring streak going Pipa!

As a very biased Finlay fan, I know he hasn’t scored or assisted since the start of the season, but his work rate kept the defense tired and resulted in multiple corner kicks.He also drew the foul that provided Higuain with the free kick to score Crew SC’s first goal of the game.His time will come.

I was surprised to see Justin Meram subbed off in the 69’, but I think Montreal limited his match to some degree.I’m sure they didn’t want another hat trick from Meram like the last time these two teams faced each other this season, and Montreal gave him slightly less room to maneuver.

Okay, I need to discuss Jonathan Mensah.In the 33’, he sent a ball over to Zack Steffen when Zack had a Montreal Impact player nearby unmarked.It was a big gaffe.One that made everyone in my section ready to throw in the towel on Mensah.However after watching the replay, it looked like he was trying to send the ball to Harrison Afful across the field and mishit the ball, which happens from time to time.However, he seems to go backwards with the ball too often even when he has players forward to pass to.At the beginning of the season, I figured it was due to adjusting to a new league, team, and system.I gave him the benefit of the doubt.Now, I just don’t know.I’m starting to wonder if the game is getting to him mentally and causing him to make even more mistakes. I’m starting to become okay with the idea of leaving him on the bench despite his big paycheck.I look forward to the time next season when Gaston Sauro is healthy, and he can pair with Naess in the back.

Columbus Crew SC is dropping points like they are too hot to hold.Some fans are getting restless.Some are keeping the faith.Some are just turning off their TVs because their black and gold hearts can’t take it any more.

Crew SC continued their point-dropping trend in Atlanta this past Saturday.Dropping a possible point by allowing Atlanta United to score two goals after tying up the game.Ending the game with a score of 3-1 Atlanta.

I couldn’t bring myself to watch another game where the wheels came off.Nor could I bring myself to write about it, so I decided to do a brief look back at the season’s point dropping debacles (where we had a lead or a tie and gave it away) and where we are compared to where we could have been.

–March 4th against Chicago Fire

Crew SC has the lead in the 17’ and loses the lead in the 73’.They end in a 1-1 tie.Crew SC gives up 2 points.

–April 29th against NYCFC

Crew SC goes into the lead in the 49’ and gives it away in the 64’.They lose 3-2.Crew SC gives up 3 points.

–May 10th against Toronto FC

Crew SC scores in the 28’ and drops the lead in the 81’.They lose 2-1. Crew SC gives up 3 points.

–June 3rd against Colorado Rapids

Columbus scores in the 61’, and we lost the lead in the 80’.They lose 2-1. Crew SC gives up 3 points.

–June 17th against Atlanta

Crew SC tied it up in the 26’ and then lost the draw in the 67’.They lose 3-1. Crew SC gives up a point.

Columbus Crew SC currently sits 6th in the East with 22 points and a game in hand over most teams in the East.If we gained all the points I listed above instead of dropping them, we would have 12 more points, and we would be at the top of the Eastern Conference with 34 points.We would also be on the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings.In reality, I know it isn’t possible to win every one of those games, but even if Crew SC had held on to some points with ties, we would be in a much better position than we are now.

The majority of these give-aways are happening in the 70’ or later. Is this due to physical or mental fatigue?Is it the way we are using substitutions?Is it at this point in the game where we need to be making some tactical shifts?

I don’t know the answer, but Crew SC better discover it soon if they want to find the magic from the beginning of the season and soothe the hearts of their fans.

Another lead given away, another 3 points dropped, and the cries for a coaching change are growing louder as the Colorado Rapids defeated Columbus Crew SC 2-1 on Saturday night.Berhalter sent out a different formation than normal, essentially a 3-4-2-1, with three centerbacks in the back—Williams, Crognale, and Naess.

There wasn’t a ton to write back home about in the first half.Crew SC had a few nice chances that they couldn’t seem to finish.

In the 11’, Meram sent a pretty ball through to Kamara who just couldn’t get to it.

Later in the 18’, Wil Trapp got a cleared ball from a Crew SC corner kick, sent a pass to Francis, who sent a gorgeous ball to Pipa, who got it to Kamara who just didn’t get it finished.

In the 26’, Afful sent a mini-chip between two Rapid defenders to Higuain, who sent it to Meram.However, it was intercepted by the defense before Meram could get to it.

The Rapids were really limited in opportunities until the 30’ where they had multiple chances including one that forced Steffen to make a double save against Colorado’s Gashi in the 33’.It’s difficult to explain, but I just didn’t sense extreme intensity radiating from anyone (outside of Pipa) during the first half until about the 33’ when the Rapids had multiple chances.

The second half seemed to start with more intensity from both sides.

In the 61’, Crew SC broke it open when Justin Meram sent a ball to Higuain who was left open slightly outside the Rapids 18.

Pipa took the shot as Colorado’s Azira came in to challenge the ball.

The shot deflected off of Azira into the Rapid’s net.

I’m not going to lie.At this point, I felt pretty good about the possibility of winning this game.Colorado is at the bottom of the table, and while the Rapids had some good chances earlier in the game, I felt like we had limited their opportunities fairly well.I had put the earlier leads lost by Crew SC behind me.

Letting my guard down was a mistake as Colorado scored two goals between the 80’ and 86’.The 80’ goal found Hairston running through the middle of the field without much of a challenge, allowing him to send the ball to Mo Saied, who crossed it to two Rapid players running unmarked to the backside of our goal where Kevin Doyle was able to finish it.Then in the 86’, Gordon, essentially unmarked on the backside of the goal, headed the ball in giving Colorado the lead.

Another lead that Crew SC let slip away.

Random thoughts:

Before the game, I tweeted we should bring Mo Saied back with us.I don’t know if he’d make a difference on the field for us or not, but I miss Mo’s positive presence.I did find it amusing that the guy defending him for the majority of the night—Josh Williams–was one of the few Columbus defenders Mo never played with during his time with Crew SC.

Although our current Mo, Mohammed Abu, had what I thought was a solid game.He flows much better with his teammates than he did earlier in the season.

Pipa continues a dominant 2017.He played another good game and for that, and his game against Seattle, made MLS Team of the Week

While Gregg rolled out a different formation, I wish he had also subbed a bit earlier especially in the higher elevation with a lead.

I will be very disappointed if Meram and Pipa do not get chosen for the MLS All-Star team in some capacity.

Our next game is an Open Cup match against FC Cincinnati on June 14th.I’m not sure what line up Berhalter will roll out as we have a MLS match against Atlanta United three days later.Here’s to a win and all players staying healthy throughout that Open Cup game.(I still miss watching you play Eddie Gaven.)

Yes, it is the tale of two teams–one who gets outscored 5-0 against a team missing two of its starters, and then another team who wins 3-0 giving their opposition few opportunities. “Who are these two teams?” one might ask.And the answer will only surprise those who haven’t watched the team struggle for consistency over the past few seasons, Columbus Crew SC.

On Friday, Columbus Crew SC lost 5-0 to Toronto FC who was missing Giovinco and Altidore.To be honest, I wasn’t watching.I was playing a soccer game at the time, so I was following the game’s score on my phone.

As I watched a replay of the game, I didn’t find the first 30 minutes as bad as I thought they would be.Maybe I was prepared for the worst knowing the final score line already.Mensah’s foul in the 4’ that led to Vazquez’s putting away a PK was bad–it should have been a red card–and Toronto definitely had a lot of dangerous chances.However, Crew SC had some chances that they should have finished, which would have resulted in a very different match.

Instead, Toronto’s Justin Morrow streaked down the left side of the field and lasered a ball into the net, and Gregg Berhalter subbed off one of our strongest players, Justin Meram, in the 40’.Toronto followed this with a goal in the 59’ from Vazquez and two more goals when they were down a man after Marco Delgado was sent off in the 81’.

Counter this match with the match on Wednesday night against Seattle Sounders where we saw a very different Crew SC team.Justin Meram and Frederico Higuain continued their fantastic seasons starting in the 10’ when Hector Jimenez slid to get a ball, sent it to Higuain who settled and sent it to the bottom left corner of the net.Later in the 21’, Justin Meram decided to increase the lead as several Seattle defenders backpedaled as he slotted the ball into the same corner as Higuain.In the 59’, Meram sent a beautiful pass to Kamara who sent a low shot to the bottom right corner bouncing off the inside of the post careening into the back of the net.

Zack Steffen made two fantastic saves to keep Crew SC solidly in the lead.One was a diving save stopping a well-hit shot from Lodeiro in the 57’.Later, he snagged a charging Fernandez’s shot with his left hand.

Random Thoughts:

Crew SC need to get Artur signed and off this loan.He got sick at halftime during the Seattle game and continued to play.He is a difference maker and is all over the field.He needs to be in the black and gold next season too and a few more seasons after that if he continues to play as he has.

This team plays better with Ethan Finlay.He may not be assisting or scoring goals, but he draws defenders and makes dangerous runs.

There were many, many times during this game that I yelled look at Raitala or Finlay.This team needs to switch the field quicker at times especially when their left back is standing there alone.Also, Finlay makes these great runs, but they either don’t send him the ball when they should or make the pass too late.

Lots of people wanted Gregg fired after the Toronto loss.I just don’t think that will fix the problems we have.Gregg is a young coach.This season, he’s starting to make tactical changes, and he is reflective on his decisions.I continue to have faith, for now, in his direction for the team.

The Seattle game had tons more goals in it.Kamara had a few more he could have put away.

Having pups on the pitch night at Crew SC may have just brought the team luck.Should it be a reoccurring event?I guess it just might depend on our next home match’s result.

So, in the last week, we have seem two very different Crew SC teams.Maybe, they had to hit the low in Toronto to figure out who they are.Maybe they thought they were the only ones to defeat Toronto so far this season, so it would be easy to do it again.But, I like the team that showed up against Seattle.Let’s hope we see this team again on Saturday against Colorado Rapids.

The first 20 minutes of the Columbus Crew SC match against the New England Revolution was a pretty fun game to watch.Crew SC looked like they came into this game wide-awake with Higuaín getting a ball from Francis in the 1’ that he should have shot slightly more quickly but he instead found his few extra little touches resulted in a blocked shot.In the 3’ minute, the Revs quickly attacked as Fegundez sent a ball across the field to a streaking Rowe.

Had the ball been a smidge slower or Rowe been a bit quicker, the Crew SC could have found themselves in a precarious position, however neither happened, and the ball harmlessly went out.The back and forth continued slightly favoring Crew SC; when in the 4’ minute, Higuaín took another shot and Manneh hit the rebound for what looked like a goal, but Manneh was ruled offside.

Crew SC fans didn’t have to wait long for a goal though, and Crew SC did not take their foot off the gas pedal.In the 20’, Wil Trapp sent a beautiful ball up the field to Ola Kamara who volleyed it from just outside the Revs eighteen into the top left corner of their net.If this isn’t a candidate for Pass of the Week, Goal of the Week, and Columbus Crew SC Goal of the Year, then I’m not sure what should qualify.I had a great feeling about this game.I guess I shouldn’t have.

Diego Fagundez decided to give Crew SC fans a taste of the terror that Justin Meram reigned on Montreal last week by scoring a brace against Crew SC.After a giveaway by Crew SC and some quick passing by the Revs, Fegundez scored in the 24’ and then again in the 34’.

The second half ended in a scoreless affair that I honestly had a hard time focusing on.However, we seemed to lose the fast passing and movement that had given us an edge for most of the first half.This resulted in the home team earning a 2-1 win over Crew SC and leaving Crew SC sitting at 6-6-1 for the season thus far.

My random thoughts:

A lot of people were again not happy with Abu.He definitely had moments that weren’t great, but so did a lot of other players on the team.I don’t have strong feelings for or against Abu.I do miss Mo Saied and Tony Tchani, but I don’t believe this one player is causing all of our woes.

I am happy to see Waylon Francis on the pitch.He, along with Ethan Finlay, are two of my favorite Crew SC players.I think Francis had some great crosses and did some great things defensively.I also had no issue with Raitala coming on for Jimenez in the 62’.Jimenez does a serviceable job at right back, but if Harrison Afful doesn’t come back match fit and in full form soon that right side will be a problem.

Any time we play on artificial turf like the field we played on Sunday, I am again reminded of how beautiful our field is.Our grounds crew at Mapfre Stadium is amazing.

I still have faith and belief in this team, but I almost always do.When they are on, they get it done.They just have to find a way to keep the switch on more often.They will get there Crew SC fans.Keep the faith.